Peyton: No Brady retirement age for me

Wed, 10/03/2012 - 4:37pm — Mike Petraglia

FOXBORO -- Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will meet for the 13th time in their great rivalry on Sunday, and for the first time Manning will be wearing a Broncos uniform. Brady holds a 6-3 regular season edge and a 2-1 advantage in the playoffs. Manning, 36, is coming off four surgeries to stabilize the nerves in his neck. Manning said in a conference call with Patriots beat reporters Wednesday that he does not have an idea of how much longer he'll be playing, pointing out that the 35-year-old Brady has indicated that he'd like to play until he's 40.

"I know Tom has said before how long he wants to play," Manning said. "I don't have that number in mind quite like he does but I still have a passion for it. I still enjoy the preparation, the work of it, the offseason, the Mondays, the Tuesdays, the game-planning. I still enjoy that. Until I stop having a passion for that, until I can no longer produce or be effective, that's when I stop playing, when I can't produce or don't enjoy it."

Manning and Brady have both had to overcome serious injuries to return to their NFL careers, a fact not lost on Manning on Wednesday.

"Tom and I had different types of injuries," Manning said. "I went through the entire rehab process and saw doctors and if a doctor told me and advised me not to play, I wouldn't play.

"When I was cleared to play, I still have a great passion for the game. I enjoy playing. I thought I could still produce. It's what I've always loved to do."